This author participates in the Readers' Favorite Free Book Program, which is open to all readers and is completely free. The author will provide you with a free copy of their book in exchange for an honest review. You and the author will discuss what sites you will post your review to and what kind of copy of the book you would like to receive (eBook, PDF, Word, paperback, etc.). To begin, click the purple email icon to send this author a private email.
This author participates in the Readers' Favorite Book Review Exchange Program, which is open to all authors and is completely free. Simply put, you agree to provide an honest review an author's book in exchange for the author doing the same for you. What sites your reviews are posted on (B&N, Amazon, etc.) and whether you send digital (eBook, PDF, Word, etc.) or hard copies of your books to each other for review is up to you. To begin, click the purple email icon to send this author a private email, and be sure to describe your book or include a link to your Readers' Favorite review page or Amazon page.
This author participates in the Readers' Favorite Book Donation Program, which was created to help nonprofit and charitable organizations (schools, libraries, convalescent homes, soldier donation programs, etc.) by providing them with free books and to help authors garner more exposure for their work. This author is willing to donate free copies of their book in exchange for reviews (if circumstances allow) and the knowledge that their book is being read and enjoyed. To begin, click the purple email icon to send this author a private email. Be sure to tell the author who you are, what organization you are with, how many books you need, how they will be used, and the number of reviews, if any, you would be able to provide.
Reviewed by Emily-Jane Hills Orford for Readers' Favorite
Safir was only one of many lonely immigrants living in New York in the 1950s. It was post World War II and a lot of the immigrants had their own sad stories to share, ghosts that continued to haunt their daily lives. Named after the precious gem, Safir hasn’t seen her parents in Turkey since she left home before the war. And now they’re both dead. When a U.S. Senator appears on her doorstep, claiming to be her real father, Safir stumbles into uncharted territory, trying to understand the parents she believed were hers and the new father who claims she is his daughter. The story he shares takes her back in time to World War I and the atrocities that were inflicted on the Armenians. And then she finds the letters and her world breaks apart yet again.
Michael Ippen’s novel, Saint Illuminator’s Daughter, is a compelling story of family, love, war, and unsolved mysteries. There are multiple layers to this plot which unravels primarily as Safir’s story. As the Senator shares his story, another plot surfaces. When she reads the letters, even more stories unfold. And the mystery thickens. The characters are well developed and intense; the many settings are well described, inviting the reader right into the story. The author is well versed in early twentieth-century European history and his description of the realities of the horrors is to be commended. The ensuing conflicts of the time - between countries, between the many religious groups - embellish the unfolding drama. The plot wraps the reader in a firm embrace that doesn’t let up until the last page. This is a powerful story.
